e Salehi - Faculty of Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Arak University, Arak, Iran
S.S Madaeni - Membrane Research Center, Chemical Engineering Department, Razi University, Kermanshah

Amino-modified multi–walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT–NH2) were utilized to modify chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol (CS/PVA) thin adsorptive membranes for Cu(II) ion adsorption from water. Different CNTs percentages (0.5, 1 and 2 wt%), were inserted in the membranes. Parallel interstices (channels) were observed in the compact matrix of the CS/PVA membrane by addition of 0.5 wt% of the MWCNTs. The width of the channels were reduced at higher CNTs percent weights. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to test the membranes static adsorptive performance. Adsorption capacity of the membrane containing 2 wt% MWCNTs (20.1 mg/g) was considerably enhanced compared to that of the plain (11.1 mg/g). This is due to improvement of adsorption/transport behavior by creation of nanochannels and supplementary interstices in the membrane compact matrix. On the other side, capacity enlargement was not significant (< 3 mg/g), when MWCNTs content increased from 1 to 2 wt %. Mass transport limitation, owing to extremely dense structure of the membrane, may be responsible for the observed behaviour

Adsorptive membrane, Chitosan, Polyvinyl alcohol, MWCNTs, Batch adsorption